Gates of Eden
by Kali Naien
Summary: Dawn and Connor realize they need each other in a world that seems to be ending before their very eyes. They alone are all that stands between the coming darkness and a new hope for all the world.


Title: Gates of Eden  
  
Part: Prologue  
  
Author: Kali Naien  
  
Email: Rockinbabe3232@aol.com  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned this, Dawn would already be on Angel and meeting a nice young lad named Connor ^_^.  
  
Summary: Dawn and Connor realize they need each other in a world that seems to be ending before their very eyes. They alone are all that stands between the coming darkness and a new hope for all the world.  
  
Rating: G  
  
Spoilers: BtVS's 'Grave' and AtS's 'Sleep Tight'  
  
Author's Note: Well, this is the series for 'Probably Won't' and it's companion piece 'The Art of Breathing' (which I still have yet to post, but it's coming). In this story, Groo leaves a lot earlier, in my mind, at the end of Couplet. Cordy never went on vacation with Groo or anything like that and she realized she loved Angel right in the middle of Couplet. Possibly due in part to her subconscious choice of how a cleaned up Groo should look? Anywho, this here is Cordy's POV. This fic is mainly centered around Dawn and Connor, but there will be an A/C side dish. Hehehe, I love A/C shippers, what can I say? The fic itself will be in third person, but I wanted this prologue to be a POV from Cordy. Just because. Anywho this song is by Norah Jones yet again! What can I say? Her lyrics mesh well. And by the by, I'm a review fiend! Just to let you know of course *hint hint*. And thank you to all those who reviewed 'Probably Won't' Luv ya all! ^_~  
  
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Prologue: Running Thoughts  
  
Nightingale  
  
Sing us a song  
  
Of a love that once belonged  
  
Nightingale  
  
Tell me your tale  
  
Was your journey far too long?  
  
Does it seem like I'm looking for an answer  
  
To a question I can't ask  
  
I don't know which way the feather falls  
  
Or if i should blow it to the left  
  
All the voices that are spinnin' around me  
  
Trying to tell me what to say  
  
Can I fly right behind you  
  
And you can take me away  
  
I can still hear his shouts, his cries, and his pleas. They called for Connor and surprisingly, they called for me. Maybe he was worried about me, scared for me. That's unlikely though. In reality he was probably in disbelief that I would do such a thing, probably cursing my soul to eternal damnation, probably wanting to kill me at that moment.  
  
You know, demons that can cross dimensions pass through here sometimes. One demon told me that Angel was trying to rip through the fabric of reality. Looking for Connor with a frenzied fear for his safety. Looking for me with an unbridled rage. He thought I was working for Holtz. That I was a betrayer. Wesley, the only other person besides Connor and I who knows the truth couldn't say otherwise because he is in a coma thanks to Holtz. Wonderful. I am the Judas of Angel Investigations.  
  
When I had found the prophecy Wesley had been hiding, I was in disbelief. I was going to tell Angel about it and we'd figure something out like we always do. But then Angel started getting a bit violent, craving human blood. By the by, I did also find out later that was thanks to our lovely friends Wolfram and Hart. But this was later and at the time, I was scared. Perhaps I should have told Angel about the prophecy, trusted him. That's not me though. I can't trust people, especially in situations like that where I get all panicky. Where the one person I do trust is the supposed antagonist.  
  
To me, trust means to rely and one thing I've learned in never to rely on anyone. Not on my parents, not on my old so-called high school friends, not on Xander. I do trust Angel with my life. He's the one person I can rely on, can trust. But I was stupid. That memory of him firing me and the hurt I felt kept coming back to me. I just panicked when I read that prophecy and I ran. I just wanted to find out what was going on with Angel and in the mean time have Connor safely tucked away.  
  
  
  
Wesley found out that I knew about the prophecy and told me he had a friend who could help us. Some friend that turned out to be. I killed her you know. Justine. I had to protect Connor and myself when she and Holtz attacked us. Holtz was able to take Connor through the portal, but not before I jumped in with him. I can see how Angel thought it looked like we were working together.  
  
Holtz died almost as soon as we arrived in Quor-toth. Demon attack. Luckily, I was able to take Connor and run. But I did look back and it wasn't a pretty site. Blood everywhere, very gory, no need for details. But I've grown use to that. Blood and gore I mean. How can you not in a place like this? Destruction, chaos, and death reign supreme.  
  
Angel's self-defense lessons ended up coming in handy. Of course, there was only so much I could teach Connor before he became better than me. A whole lot better. Of course he is a warrior, just like his dad. And just like his dad, he isn't all brawn either, he's smart. I've taught him how to read and write, some math, science, and history. I've told him all about our home, our actual home with Angel, Wesley, Gunn, Fred, and Lorne. I've told him about my adventures with Angel and the kind of person he is. I've even taught him his demons and that is some of the most important knowledge you can have in Quor-toth. I'm so proud of him for becoming the person he is today. But it hurts to look at him you know, because every time I do, I see a part of Angel I him and I want to cry.  
  
Connor has grown so tall, so proud. He's sixteen now, but he's much more mature than I was at his age. Of course, he's grown up in a hell dimension, so that's to be expected. I often wonder if he would turn out the same if he grew up in our old dimension without me as his only role model. Heh. Old dimension. How sad.  
  
Hopefully, we'll find a way to get back home someday soon. The thing is though, Connor may have grown older looking, but I haven't. I think it's because of the whole half-demon thing.  
  
A part of me is frightened to go back home. What if Angel has found a new seer in the time I was gone? What if he recruited Buffy to help find Connor and ended up re-falling back into love with her? A thousand scenarios of 'what-ifs' run through my mind every day. For me, absence really has made my heart grow fonder. Someday I think I just want to lay down and die because the chance that I might see him is so infinitesimal. But there's always that tiny bit of hope that keeps me going. That and Connor. I love him like he was my own. And he loves me as if I were his actual birth mother. Of course, I'm all he's ever known that he can remember. But how will Angel react to me if I see him again? To Connor? Would he be proud of the way I've raised him? Would he forgive me? I ask the Powers That Be everyday to send Connor and I home, so that maybe someday, I'll be able to find out.  
  
TBC 


End file.
